Cold-Blooded Vertebrate Vocabulary Cards Flashcards
(25 cards)
an animal of a large group distinguished by the possession of a backbone, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes
Vertebrates
an animal that is dependent on or capable of the internal generation of heat. example: a warm-blooded animal
Endotherms
an animal that is dependent on external sources of body heat. example: a cold-blooded animal
Ectotherms
a visible line along the side of a fish consisting of a series of sense organs that detect pressure and vibration
Lateral Line
the paired respiratory organ of fishes and some amphibians
Gills
any of the taxonomic group of primitive vertebrates without jaws including cyclostomes and extinct related forms; examples: Heterostrac, Pteraspidomorphi
Jawless Fishes (2 examples)
a fish of a class distinguished by having a skeleton of cartilage rather than bone; examples: sharks, rays, and chimeras
Cartilaginous Fishes (3 examples)
any of a major taxon comprising fishes with a bony rather than a cartilaginous skeleton; examples: eels, mackerels, and sunfish
Bony Fishes (3 examples)
a gas-filled sac in the body of many bony fishes, used to maintain and control buoyancy
Swim Bladder
a cold-blooded vertebrate animal of a class that comprises the frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders. They are distinguished by having an aquatic gill-breathing larval stage followed by a terrestrial lung-breathing adult stage
Amphibians
each of the pair of organs situated within the rib cage, consisting of elastic sacs with branching passages into which air is drawn, so that oxygen can pass into the blood and carbon dioxide be removed. _____ are characteristic of vertebrates other than fish, though similar structures are present in some other animal groups
Lungs
the tailed aquatic larva of an amphibian (frog, toad, newt, or salamander), breathing through gills and lacking legs until its later stages of development
Tadpole
the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages
Metamorphosis
a burrowing wormlike amphibian of a tropical order distinguished by poorly developed eyes and the lack of limbs
Caecilians
a newtlike amphibian that typically has bright markings, and that once was thought to be able to endure fire
Salamanders
a tailless amphibian with a short squat body, moist smooth skin, and very long hind legs for leaping
Frogs
a group of animals comprising today’s turtles, crocodilians, snakes, amphisbaenians, lizards, tuatara, and their extinct relatives
Reptiles
The type of egg produced by reptiles, birds, and egg-laying mammals (platypus, ex.), in which the embryo develops inside an amnion. The shell of the egg is either calcium-based or leathery
Amniotic Eggs
reptiles by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs and acting as a shield. “______” may refer to the order as a whole or to fresh-water and sea-dwelling testudines
Turtles (description)
are a family of land-dwelling vertebratessimilar to turtles. __________ are shielded from predators by a shell
Tortoises (description)
a large predatory reptile with long jaws, long tail, short legs, and a horny textured skin, using submersion(going underwater) and stealth to approach prey unseen
Crocodiles (description)
a large predfitorial reptile similar to a crocodile but with a broader and shorter head, native to the Americas and China
Alligators (description)
a long limbless reptile that has no eyelids, a short tail, and jaws that are capable of opening to a large size. some use venom to kill it’s prey
Snakes (description)
a reptile that typically has a long body and tail, four legs, movable eyelids, and a rough, scaly, or spiny skin and can come in various sizes
Lizards (description)
